Happy as a clam

9 3/4" x 9 3/4"

While working with defining edges and shadows

Floral Time Lines

Practicing line drawing with another quick timed sketch and watercolor, using a Tombow 977 and extra palette "mud" (leftover paint washes), in my Canson sketchbook. Less than five minutes, start to finish.  I really like how it turned out.  It's fun to just be loose and play.

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. Nathaniel Hawthorne

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La vie en rose

Inspiration from a Lila Rose hang tag -- I liked the abstract line drawing of a rose and tried it two ways...scratching out while still wet with the end of my paintbrush  and then direct painting/drawing (with the brush!) and filling in the spaces.  I like both!   Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal

Plum Triple Play - Practice, Practice, Practice

Persistance pays off!

I marked off Fabriano 140 pound cold press into thirds. . .and painted!  Repeating - "Line, pattern, shape"

We all liked this one the best --

And I decided to frame it!

Peggy Persists in Practicing Painting Plums - Part 2

Plums
Fabriano Hot Press
9" x 12"

Inspired by Van Gogh's "Still Life with Basket of Apples" 1887
I kept it fast, easy and loose.

Wednesday Work in Progress - Peggy Practices Painting Plums

10 1/2" x 11 1/4"

Learning to make highlights by lifting and using gouache and more fuzzy shadow practice.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Take Two...Lemons

10" x 8 1/2"

Analogous color wheel study - blue and green bottles with lemons.  The background is actually pale cobalt blue - the camera/computer makes it look more gray than blue.

Wednesday Work in Progress - LemonAid

When a still life hands you a lemon - practice crazy painting them! There is something quite freeing when all hope is lost. #whattheheck #justslopthepainton #painteveryday #lemonaid

Some times things don't turn out as planned.  But you know, when this particular painting morphed to overworked, it was time to try different suggestions and techniques - resulting in a rather mishmash, and layers of them.  I'm cool with that.   I learn and have fun with my "detours," I prefer not to call them mistakes.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Color Wheel Fun "Well Red"

Matthew 5: 1-12
"The mountain to be climbed is love" - Robert DeLeon, CSC

Analogous landscape trees - watercolor color wheel fun. I painted from a black and white photograph using a DIY red value finder using red clear plastic/acetate/gel/film and a mat.  It really helped to do my checks along the way. (picture to be posted in a bit)

30 Paintings in 30 Days & Sunday Funday

"Roll with it" Rerolled bag of kolaches, two watercolor sketches in one. The dangers of painting and sketching at the kitchen table on a Sunday afternoon and the same time fending off the hands and the Q & A "Is this the bag of kolaches?"

I also tried Angela Fehr's idea of "Palette Mud" - using the leftover colors in my palette from a previous painting for the shading/values.

And I put a new Art Graf water-soluble Carbon Intense Black disc ($2.89 from the Hobby Lobby clearance section) through its paces to sketch and practice line/contour drawing a la Charles Reid.  

I thought it was fun (and the kolaches were delicious!)

Update 1-23-17 - The other sketchbook paintings from yesterday...much easier to photograph in the morning sun than indoor lighting.

House of Pies Chocolate Cream pie!

Practicing painting people!
And I enjoyed a delicious Caramel Macchiato!

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 19 -- Part 19 of Adventures with Brusho -- The Daffiness continues

OK, so this time I thought I would actually "paint" with Brusho using a paintbrush.  All the splatter and shave cream and abstract attempts aside.

I used three types of paper with varying results as you will see.    I finished each with a spritz of the Brusho metallic acrylic in Shimmer Yellow.  Each time I painted the daffodil first.

Arches watercolor paper 140#

The best result was with Arches 140# cold press
The Shimmer spray spread a little, yet retained the metallic effect, more visibly when tilting towards light.
I liked how all the colors (yellow, lemon yellow orange, blue, brown) blended in the petals, but I felt it was more a lucky coincidence.  You don't really get a second chance with Brusho once you lay the color down, especially on a grabby surface. I kept dropping in color, blending (trying) and hoping for the best.  I thought it made a nice shadow, but with more pigment on the brush I had difficulty softening the edges of the vase.  I was able to dip my brush in my water jar and add effects inside.

Bristol Smooth

Runner up - Strathmore Bristol Smooth
I thought the Shimmer spray worked the best with this surface
Somehow my brush picked up airborne brown and green in the yellows cup sections.   Not quite the daffodil yellow I was going for.  Easy to get softer edges on the vase, but again, not much lifting.

"Exploding Daffodil"
What in the name of Sam Hill?!

While Yupo does great with the splashing in previous examples, it was like herding kittens trying to control placement with a paintbrush. It was also difficult to get darker values.  I don't recommend painting directly with Brusho on Yupo unless you have a good bad vocabulary.  Hard edges, paint rolling down, going where I didn't want it to go...argh.
The Shimmer spray also activated the airborne invisible Brusho crystals.  I tried to blot them.
Keeping it real here, readers.

I still believe that if you have an open mind to an open result, Brusho can be interesting to paint with.  And the patience and countenance of a saint.   I will reiterate that if you are into card making, journal pages, abstract - Brusho will become your bestest painting buddy.
In the meantime, I have a group date with Daniel and Newton along with my honey, Gustave, later on.

30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 18 - Daffy

YAS!

Plexiglass, practice and progress all go together!  And you actually try it yourself and figure it out yourself - I thought all four of these show and tell the story.  Minus the *colorful* soundtrack (lol-  #*@%!!)  I went to Texas Art Supply yesterday to get the Daniel Smith paints Nancy used and suggested to make the background - Indanthrone Blue, Anthaquinoid Red.  The only other colors were Quin Gold (WN, the single pigment DS is on my list) and Sennelier Naples Yellow Deep and Lemon Yellow from my half pan palette.

Whoops, vase disappeared. Patience lesson #84921

Liking the iridescent vase look, background still a little too wet

Love the background. and the whatever you call the part of the daffodil center edges.
Corona!

30 Days 30 Paintings - Day 17 - Practice, practice, practice, practice

I like the leaves on this one - I had actually reached the point I was
just slapping and throwing paint on the left

I can see why people are nuts over Sennelier yellows!

This one. . .lol
a reminder not to take yourself so seriously and laugh

Good example of just letting the colors run and play

I attended a Paint-In on Saturday to learn skills, tips and techniques working in wet-in-wet. I couldn't wait for Hobby Lobby to open yesterday to buy a piece of plexiglass and put my new Sennelier half pan palette through its paces. (They are all 10" x 8") And I will paint eight more this afternoon with another another palette. And then another. And another. By the time I work through them all, I should have eleventy-billion sunflowers and a better grasp of this technique.  Each painting so far I've learned and loved something about it.  There is certainly a lot of freedom and fun just practicing and playing.  #NoFear #SunflowersTheSeries #BuyMorePaper
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Adventures with Brusho - Part Eighteen - Gray-Diations of ice and Winter

I am loving the Brusho in Gray or Grey!  I feel it is more green/indigo/orange/red than Black.  And it plays nicely with a few sprinkles of Purple.

Here again I used Gillette Foamy shaving cream and Strathmore Bristol Smooth, 11" x 14".  This time I scraped off with an index card what was left of the shaving cream peaks on the original print - most had "puffed" off and little remained.

Master print

Original

This was the first/master print. The thicker squiggles of shaving cream acted like a soft resist. Most of the shaving cream "poofed" off as it dried. Unlike on watercolor paper, it didn't stick around. You can see where I did push off some of the areas with an index card.  Good to know you can "etch" and scrape a little for additional texture.

Secondary print

Second printing

Third print (with a few more shakes of gray and purple and a little spritz of water
I think it looks frosty icy

Third printing

Fourth print - I wet this again with water and wadded/crumpled it up good. (Who hasn't thought of doing this to their Brusho painting?!)  Actually the Bristol Smooth did smooth out a little. I like the random creases and texture from the paper.   I will try this technique again with more wet paint.  However with this color pigment, I think it looks like ice or frost with less paint.

Fourth and crumpled

Here are the close ups --

Original master print

Second print

Third print

Fourth and crumpled

30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 15

I attended a paint-in workshop to learn techniques and ideas for working watercolor wet-in-wet.  These are my three practice pieces.

"Mountain view on the way to Galveston"

Cropped!

Practicing working wet in wet.   And learned how to paint mountains as a bonus!

Three colors -- I used Winsor & Newton Indigo for the sky and water reflection, Daniel Smith's  Quinacridone Gold and Olive Green.

Snow Trees

Learned about another cool Daniel Smith color - Indanthrone Blue.  A favorite triad of the instructor, she uses this blue with Anthraquinoid Red (I used Alizarin Crimson here) and Quinacridone Gold.  It makes pretty oranges, greens and purples and darks mixed all together.  You can also use Prussian Blue.

I liked the shadowy effect in the background and then when it dried, using the rigger brush to make the trees creating my own black and my Daniel Smith Lunar Black.

Path of light

This was so much fun - wet in wet Daniel Smith's Undersea Green separates into Ultramarine blue and yellow and pushes into the treeline of Winsor & Newton French Ultramarine Blue.  The sky is a mix of Winsor & Newton Alizarin Crimson and French Ultramarine Blue.  I mixed the two together and then double-loaded the brush edges of each separate color  I added a few touches of Alizarin to the green for more fun color play.

30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 11

9" x 6"

"Relaxed, Refreshed and Better Than Before"

What my favorite yoga teacher always closes with after Savasana.  And how I felt this morning after yoga and after painting this.
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30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 10 -- Part 17 of Adventures with Brusho

9" x 6"

Inspired by the artwork inside Twinings Australian Afternoon tea box, and opportunity to play with my new Sennelier watercolors and a new Princeton round brush in a Size 7 (?).  And of course, a few shakes of Dark Brown Brusho.  Looks like spilled tea.

30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 9

7 1/2" x 13 1/2"

I am actually quite happy with this.  And beginning to enjoy painting still lifes.   I was trying to use warm and cool color combinations, practice my shadows and compose an interesting painting.  And I incorporated "Picasso Lines" - I saw a collection of his line drawings at The Menil (which just closed).

I'm also doing preplanning in my sketchbook first -

I love this sketchbook for my watercolor classes.
It was actually recommended by my drawing teacher.
It's a good size, it has lots of pages
And it can take water media experimentation without protest
It is the perfect classwork/workshop workbook sketchbook for me
I found this particular size on Amazon, but support and check your local art supply stores first!

- to visualize and try different colors, perspectives, etc.  I get so excited to just start painting, this not only cools my jets but also allows me to try even more options of what I see in my head before I commit to just jumping in and painting myself into the proverbial corner.

Also a reminder to "box it in"
draw a line around the composition to "see" the painting
I liked the size and shape of this

LOL, my "Stand Up For Circles"   Not a political statement but a reminder to stand up while sketching to get better circles, and actually better drawings/paintings.

I also like to put all those stickers we get in the mail, on fruit, in the stores, souvenirs, etc. on my sketchbooks.  One of the Craftsy instructors does that and I thought that was a cool idea.  Makes your sketchbook unique and easy for you (and others) to find, and honestly, how often do we collect these stickers and just stick in a drawer and forget.  Use and enjoy them!

30 Paintings 30 Days - Day 8 --- and Part 16 of Adventures with Brusho

You are probably saying, "but I haven't seen eight paintings?!"  However, some of the previously posted Brusho ones I counted.

And here are three more.  I watched Sandy Allnock's "Watercolor Flower Series #11: Paint a Brusho Garden"    She had good advice and made it look easy.  I highly recommend checking out her other videos on her channel.

I tried three times with these, with varying results.   Part could be perhaps the paper was too "grabby" with the Brusho and I could not dissolve the pigments fast enough, despite sprinkling and quickly trying to blend onto already wet paper.  Some of them were more staining and less movable/forgiving.  Or they dissolved too much and I couldn't achieve enough value/contrast to make the petals pop.  With the last one, you can sense my frustration as I gave up and just randomly shook the canisters, sprayed more water on top and wadded up Saran Wrap and walked away.  I hardly think that is painting per se.  While watercoloring is unpredictable as a rule, Brusho can be fun, but off the charts random.  I think some of my best pieces over the past few weeks were my "mistakes" or "what the _ell" moments.

Too pale and blended - added extra Scarlet strokes
Frustrated by the Leaf and Emerald Greens attaching/attacking the paper and not letting go

I couldn't get the greens darker or blend again, so I sprinkled Brown over it!
A little bit better control with the rose, though

I still couldn't achieve more value in the rose I wanted.
I even sprinkled Brown in it - not a good move in hindsight.

On the positives -- I discovered Brusho plays beautifully with Yupo paper. If you want to make pretty backgrounds for cards and journals, another point in Brusho's favor. Leading a Girl Scout troop or camp art activity - they would love this! Especially with the different options of using shaving cream to make "prints" and spray starch to disperse the colors.

However, in trying to paint-paint, I think the pigments are too random and hard to control, at least for me at this point in the Brusho learning curve.  I have difficulty with the colors, even with twelve, to achieve darker values.    They can be staining and unforgiving.

I would still definitely recommend buying a few colors and playing around with them.  There are lots of videos/YouTubes, Facebook groups and blogs available with good advice and tips.  I hope some of my posts were helpful in showcasing my Brusho journey in discovering what it could/could not do for me.

Adventures with Brusho - Part Fifteen - Stop and Stencil

Alcohol can stop the pigment movement on previously Brusho'd paper.  In this example, I used water and Brusho on watercolor paper.  When I decided to add another round/shake of Brusho in Blue and then spritzed alcohol on it - it did not blend.  Instead it created a slight movement and quickly halted dotted effect.

You can really see the different pigments of the Brown separate and do their thing

Using Brusho on Bristol Vellum Artist Tiles with a stencil created a pretty effect.  I placed the stencil on the paper, shook Brown Brusho all over and then sprayed with water.

The second one was a print with the remaining wet Brusho on top of the stencil.  I flipped the stencil onto the paper face down and removed it.  I then sprinkled Ultramarine to the top of the print and added more water.  I liked how the colors ran together.